Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 9, 2024 19 BY JACK SOBLE AND TYLER HORKA B link, and you'll miss sophomore Notre Dame running back Jer- emiyah Love hit the hole up the middle. With the Irish up 14-7 in the early sec- ond quarter, Love made one cut at the line of scrimmage and saw daylight down the right hash. He zoomed up the field, eliminating a Navy cornerback's tackling angle. And like that, he was gone, reach- ing the end zone after 64 yards. Let your guard down on defense, and you might miss senior Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard scampering around the edge, too. Leonard finished with 10 rushes for 83 yards (8.3 yards per carry) and a rushing touchdown, while Love had 12 for 102 (8.5) and 2 scores. Leonard added 178 yards through the air and 2 passing touchdowns to a ban- ner day for No. 12 Notre Dame's backfield duo. They steered the ship as the Irish cruised to a 51-14 win over No. 24 Navy in East Rutherford, N.J., winning their sixth straight game and improving to 7-1. "[Love's] got a chance to create a big play every time he has the ball in his hands," Notre Dame head coach Mar- cus Freeman said. "And that's what, to me, you saw today. Some really good connections and executions between the wideout and quarterback, but also Jeremiyah Love being Jeremiyah Love." Leonard got the scoring started early, setting the tone for a strong afternoon of offensive execution. Notre Dame found itself with a third- and-6 from the Navy 46-yard line on its first possession. Leonard found a wide- open sophomore wide receiver Jaden Greathouse for a 42-yard gain, extend- ing the drive and leading to a 1-yard score on a quarterback sneak. The Irish were not always sound of- fensively, but Leonard could usually bail them out by scrambling for chunk plays. With Notre Dame leading 31-14 in the third quarter and looking to put the game away, a dropped pass from junior tight end Eli Raridon and an illegal formation penalty wiped out two first downs in a row. No problem: Leonard escaped the pocket for a 24-yard gain to convert third- and-8, and four plays later, he found se- nior wide receiver Beaux Collins down the right side for a 37-yard touchdown. "Do I feel 100 percent confident yet? No, but some things are starting to be- come second nature in our checks and the offense," Leonard said. While most teams have defended the Irish with heavy boxes to stop the run, the Midshipmen often opted to play two high safeties. Notre Dame punished them by hammering Love up the middle. The St. Louis native lowered his shoulder like a battering ram to gain extra yards, helped by an Irish offensive line that rarely let him get touched in the backfield. "At the end of the day, they got 11 guys to cover," Leonard said. "We just stuck to our game plan, did our thing." Navy helped Notre Dame's cause with rare mistakes from its modernized tri- ple-option offense. The Midshipmen lost 5 fumbles — none of which the Irish forced — and threw an interception. De- spite junior quarterback Blake Horvath rushing for a 47-yard touchdown and later a 60-yard gain, Navy could not stop hurting itself with unforced mistakes. Notre Dame scored 27 points off those 6 turnovers, including junior linebacker Jaylen Sneed's fumble recovery in the end zone to break the 40-point mark for the Irish. "We were plus-6 in the turnover mar- gin," Freeman said. "That's huge. That's a straight reflection of complementary football." On Navy's first fumble, a Horvath pitch dropped by junior fullback Alex Tecza, sophomore Notre Dame safety Adon Shuler recovered it and returned it 28 yards to the Navy 7-yard line. The Irish scored three plays later. With his parents on the sideline pre- game in his home state of New Jersey, Shuler helped turn a game many ex- pected to be close into a rout. Notre Dame will enter its second bye week with a blowout win over a ranked oppo- nent, and with four wins to go for a spot in the College Football Playoff. FIRST QUARTER NOTRE DAME 14, NAVY 0 Top moment: Shuler picked up a fumble and returned it to the Navy 7-yard line. The Irish scored to extend their lead to 14-0 three plays later. Feature performer: Leonard com- pleted 7 of 8 passes for 68 yards with a touchdown. He also had 3 carries for 26 yards and another score. Notable Stats: Notre Dame outgained Navy 113 to 69 in total yards. The Mid- shipmen averaged 6.3 yards per play to the Irish's 5.9. The Irish possessed the ball for 9:08 while the Midshipmen had it for 5:52. Items: Notre Dame scored first for the first time since Sept. 14 at Purdue … Junior defensive end Junior Tuihala- maka recovered a fumble, but the Irish were not able to score any points from the Navy 44-yard line; junior kicker Zac Yoakam missed a 36-yard field goal. SECOND QUARTER NOTRE DAME 31, NAVY 7 Top moment: Love had a 64-yard touchdown, the longest rushing gain of his career. Feature performer: Sophomore wide receiver Jordan Faison caught 3 passes for 48 yards, including a 17-yard gain on a fourth-and-7 play from the Navy 37-yard line. Notable Stats: Notre Dame out- STEERING THE SHIP Riley Leonard and Jeremiyah Love guide Notre Dame one step closer to the College Football Playoff with a 51-14 win over Navy Leonard orchestrated another efficient effort for the Irish offense, accounting for 261 total yards and 3 touchdowns (2 passing, 1 rushing). PHOTO BY BILL STREICHER